Base-ball game apparatus.



110.863,758. PATBNTBD AUG. 20,1907.

y I. J.. ROBERTS. BASKE BALL GAMB APPARAITUS.`

' AFPLIOATION FILED MAY 28. 1907. V

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Wl THE SSE S PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907. -I,js Jf.RoBBRT`s. BASE BALL GAME APPARATUS. Arrmouxon HLBD my 2a. 1907.

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PATBNTED AUG. 2o, 1907'. I. J. RUBBRTS.

BASE BALL GAMB APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28 1907 a SHEETS-HEBT a.

m A QN u", w@ Mmww UNITED STATES PATENT crimes.

IRVEN J. ROBERTS, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BASE-BALL GAIIE APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2o, 1 907.

*Application nei May 2a, 1'90'1. serial No. 376,108.

5 certain' vnew and useful Improvements in Base-Ball "1: GameApparatus, of which the following is a full, clear,

andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying yawings, of which- Figure is a'plan view of the portion of my apparatus upon which the successive plays are made and 1 5, the dierent posit-ions'of the players. Fig. 3 is a section on the line M, Fig. '1, through the box and rotating diskv showing the indicator b'ar with its movable `-pointer in elevation. Fig. 4 is' a medial section through vthe `indicator bar and movable pointer. Fig. -5. is a 2Qgperspective of the movable pointer detached. Fig. 6 is a perspective of one of the pinsrepresenting the' players. .Y

` The object of this invention is to provide an appa. ratus withwhich the game of base-ball-may be played,

-- the combination, with a disk of an indicator in suitable juxtaposition and radially extending .with relation to said'disk, and which disk is rotatable with respect to l -said indicator, the indicator-being divided into portions fcorresponding with the various conditions of men on bases that may occur in a base-ball game; and the' fdisk is divided into circular portions by concentric circles; whichcirxular portions are in line respectively sith the divisions of the indicator, and which circular pointer which maybebrought opposite the corre sponding circular divisions ofthe disk, for a purpose hereinafter appearing. l A l The invention further consiimtain-details and combinations hereinafter pointed out. In the d1awings, l i box or support mounted therein, upon a journal,v2, a horizontal disk, 3, which underlies a' radial indicator bar, 4, extending from the side ofsaid box, or rather, in this instance, from a shelf or plate, 5,' secured to said box, as seen in Figs. l and 3.

The radial indicator 'bargispis seen in Fig. l, divided by vhorizontal lines intodivisions marked respectively, 0 1, 12-12a-13 ae322, which divisions 1Cor.- .respond with the various positions of menen bases in a vbasefball gime. For instance, u means no one on base, whereas 123 .neans all the basesare full, &c.

f i The upper surface o..` the disk, 3, is closely contiguous to the lower surface oi the indicator bar, 4, and is divided-into circule-.r divisions by concentric-circles, 6,

and to this end the invention consists. primarily, in

.as seen in Fig. l," said circular divisions corresponding with and being in line respectively with the divisions of the indicator bar, 4. Said circular p'a'tions are'divided by radial lines, 7, into divisions or sections of -such number (40 in the present instance), as may be necessary to afford indications for the different plays in the gamet be played thereon, a's hereinafter set forth. Each of the said divisions of said circular portions is provided 1with characters or letters indicating plays in the game of base-ball, as shown in Fig. l. The various plays are so distributed through said divisions `that substantially any play that may occur in the game of base-ball may also occur in the use of my apparatus. I have shown on the disk illustrated inthe drawings, various arbitrary characters having. meanings. in accordance with the following key, to wit:-

A. B. Attempt bunt, countsa strike. lThree strikes and out.

A. D. S. Attempt double steal, out stealing from 3rd. home, safe at 2nd. from 1st., a strike to the batter. Ball thrownfrom pitcher to catcher, to 2nd., & home.y l 'l B. Bunt, batter to 1st, runners advance a bare.

Blk. Balk, batter tolst, runners advance a base.

B. B. Block ball, ball handled by an outsider, due to a wild throw of a batted ground ball to outfield, batter to 2nd, runners'advance two bases.

B. H. Base hit, batter and runners advance as many bases as shown, thus'l B. H. 2 B. H. 3 B. H.

B. O. Batting. out of order, batter out, balls and strikes called charged to the proper batsman follow- C. O. B. Caught off base, runner out at base shown, caught off by pitcher 0r catcher as shown by No. If

' by catcher, charge ball to batter.

` D. P. Double play, due to ground hit ball, runners out advancing on force to bases shownby No.

D. S. Double steal. a strike to batter, safe stealing to 2nd Afrom first, scoring on steal home from 3rd. Ball thrown from pitcher to catcher, to 2nd and home too late to make an out.

Fi C. Fair catch, ily hij; caught out, batter out.

Fl. C. Foul catch, foul hit caught out, batter out.

Fl. S. Foul strike, batter out for batting out of position.

Fl. T. Foul tip, caught direct from bat, tril' F. O. R. Fielder obstructing runner, a. p tion shown, runner entitled tobase to which he was advancing.

G. H. F. Ground hit fumbled, batter to lst, runners 'advance if forced.

G. H. O. Ground hit out, runner in batter out at base shown.

H. P. B. Hit by pitched ball, batter -to fnst otlieis advance if forced.

R. Home run,l runners and batter all score.

. I. F. Ineld fly, batter out, if two are outball is played also making an out with side out.

I. W. B. Interfering with batter, batter to 1st, runners advance if forced.

I. W. C. Interfering with catcher, batter out.

M. F. B. Muffed fair ball, batter to 1st, rrilnners advvence if forced.

M. Fl. 'Muffed\foul, a strike unless two strikes have been called; if two strikes have already been called, spin wheel for another play.

M. S. Muffed strike, counts a strike, if two strikes have already been called and 1st is not occupied batter gets 1st on catchers error; if lst is occupied and two strikes have been called, the batter is out; if two are already out and 1st is occupied the catcher recovers the ball and 'makes the out, side out.

M. T. Mufed throw, ball thrown to put out a steal, runner safe on basemans error at base shown, counts a strike to the batter.

O. Ball, counts a ball for batter, four balls entitles batter to first, runners advance if forced.

O. S. H. Out stealing home, on' fly catch to outfield, runner-from 3rd trying to score on the out but was thrown out by fielder shown; others advance a base.

P. B. Pass ball, runners advance a base, ball for batter.

R. E. B. Runner hit by batted ball, runner out running to base shown, batter to 1st, others advance if forced. v

R. O. F. Runner obstructing fielder, at position shown, runner out, due to his preventing a elder in handling a ground hit, batter to 1st, others advanceif forced.

R. O. L. Running off the line, runner out, a two base hit for batter, runner from 2nd tryingito score on the hit ran off the line and failed to touch 3rd; others i advance two bases.

S. Strike, three strikes batter out.

S. A. H. Struck attempting a hit, a strike, if third strike batter is out.

S. B. Stolen base, runner safe to base shown, strike to the batter which permitted the steal.

S. H. Sacritice hit, .when no one or one is out runners advance a base, batter out; if two out, side.out.

S. F. C. Steal. on a fair catch, batter out, runner from 3rd scores on the out'unless two out, vthen side out; others advance if side not out.

T. P. Triple play, runners out at bases shown, Bout, a ground hit to fielder causing a force.

T. O. Thrown out, trying to steal base shown, a'ball for the batter. I

U. S. F. Umpire struck fair, hit by batted ball on fair ground, batter to 1st, others advance if forced.

W. P. Wild pitch, runners advance a base, a ball for the batter.

W. T. C., Wild throw by catcher, to 2nd to prevent a steal, runner safe at 2nd., a strike for batter.

W. T. F. Wild throw by fielder, a hot drive to outfield-.player makes wild throw to prevent a two base hit, batter to 2nd', otlacrsadvance two bases.

The lid, 1*?, of the box` 1s provided Withllie` repre- :sentation of a base-ball field having holes, 8a, therein,

in which are adapted to be inserted pins, A, corresponding with the players in the eld, the playersA atthev bat. The pins, numberedfrom 1 to ainclusiveonfj said Fig. 2, indicate the players in the field in their various positions, and the pin marked 10, represents the player at the bat.

Slidably mounted upon the indicator bar, is a sliding piece, 11, having an opening through its upper surface which may be brought over any one of the divisions `of the said bar, and having, extending therefrom, a point to come opposite any one of the circular divisions of the disk.

For convenience in keeping the score, I provide the shelf or plate, 5, at each corner, with dials, 12 and 13, each ofv which isprovided with a pair of rotatable pointers, 14, l5, and 16, 17. One of the dials, 13, has indicated thereon numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, indicating strikes, and by bringing the corresponding pointer, 16,

opposite any one ofl said numerals, indicates the num- .ber of strikes made by the batter.` Said dial, 13is similarly provided with numerals indicating the number of balls passed by the batter, which may be similarly designated by the pointer, 17. The other dial, 12, is similarly provided with indications for the outsand runs which may be designated respectively by the positions of the pointers, 14 and 15. On said shelf or plate, 5, intermediate said dials, is an indicator, 18, divided into rectangles, upon which may be written the total score by innings, t

When the apparatus is not being used, the pins, A, areremoved from the holes and placed in the triangular compartments, 19, in two corners of the box, and the lid, 1a is then put on the box, thus closing the same.

When it is desired to play the game, the nine pins representing the players'in the field (which pins would usually be of a different color from that of the other set of pins) are placed in the ield in the various positions indicated in Fig. 2, by the numerals 1-9 inclusive. The pins representing the players on the side at the bat are placed in the holes, S, representing the is at the bat, which is placed opposite the home plate,

' as seen in Fig., 2. The sliding piece or indicator, 11,

is moved to the position over the 0 division of the indicator bar, and the playing is ready to be begun. The disk, 3, is spun by meansoi the knob, 20, and when it comes to rest the section of the outer circular division of ,the disk, which lies beneath the point of the indicator piece,"1l, indicates the play that has been made, in accordance with the key hereinbefore set forth. For instance, should the diskstop at a point that would bring the section marked, 2 BH, under the point of the indicator, it means that the player at the bat has made a two base hit; whereupon the pin 10 representing the batter wouldl be moved from the hole adjacent the home plate to the hole 8, representing the second base, and a new batter would take the batsmans place. The indicator piece would then-be slid to the position over the section of the indicator bar second spinning o the disk, the section marked T043 should come beneath the pointer, it would indicate that the player marked 4 (that is, the catcher) had thrown the ball to th player marked 3, (3rd hasernan) whhadthereupon put out the runner in an attempt to steal Srdbase. ais .play would again cause the bases to be empty, and one man o 'nthe side to be out,

"lulpon thedial, 12., andthesliding piece, -l1,'would be :ltiovedhhacksover thedivision marked (l,' and the playfconmired in the manner indicated until a compiste gsin'e 5f; baaebanhad been played. f

lOf course-the characters indicated `in thes'ections of the circular divisions of' the `ldisk, may b'efvaried considerably as desired, butthapossible plays-l" have shown in 1, include, I b'eliev -11 those that occur l .in the gameof base-.bau asset fmninithe -ofccisi mies, i0 j of the game, and have endeavored to`=ihake the' tribution of said plays in accordancewith thel ordinary chances in a well'played game of base-ball,

I remarkthat'to-cover'the different possible-plays it was'ncessaryto bear in mind the'aot-l (and to so' inldicate upon the disk) that certain `plays may occur course,v occur when the bases-.unoccupied and Y' therefore it would not be correct to have such anindication inthe circular division' 'opposite the f0" section'of theindicator bar.

to the divisions of saidfbargvsaid divi y member being laterallydivided. into sections, which seccliaracter-s indicating' the.

4the purpose set forth.v i'

ture.

- Having-thus described'rny invention, I claim as newand-desire to secure by Letters Patentzl..Y In a baseball game apparatus, the combination with a'stationary bar having divisions respectively indicating -the variou'srpositions of nien on bases in the game of baseball, a movableniembcrjcontiguous-to said bar provided with divisions 'in line Wlith'and corre p'onding respectively orisot said movable 'tions have indicated-y thero various plays in the gaarneY of-'baseball; together with the movable indicator plec'c'carried'by said'bar, substantially as and forthe purpose 'set .forthl In a baseball game apparatus the combination with a' stationary bar having divisionsrespectively indicating the various positions of men on bases yin' the game of baseball,

ot-the contiguous disk with"i'espect-,to which said bar is radially disposed, said disk'b ing' provided with concentric circular' divisionsin line withaud corresponding r'espec-' tively to the said divislo'n'sfof said bar; which circular divisions 'are radially divided Vintosec'tions, and which sections are provided'withxcharacters indicating-the various plays ln the game of baseball; togetlelywith themovable indi` cator piece carriedby said'ban-*substantially as and for In testimony Whereofylfhave hereunto alxed my signs IRVEN JL ROBERTS. Witnesses:`

SAm'n l.- HARPER, WAL'iEn C. IUsEY. 

